Brady Rodgers, RHP, Arizona State

Rodgers was the unquestionable ace of the 2011 Sun Devils squad, and despite the presence of the more highly-touted Jake Barrett on the roster, it has once again been the diminutive righty who has emerged as the leader of the staff.

Through five starts, Rodgers has held down a 1.38 ERA and picked up three victories. He’s racked up 33 strikeouts in 39 innings and walked just five batters. He’s only allowed batters to a .206 average against, and he has yet to serve up a long ball.

Diminutive might not be the best word to describe Rodgers, but it’s doubtful that he’s really the 6’2” that ASU has listed for him on their website.

Still, as numerous Pac-10 pitchers have proved over the years, including Trevor Bauer and Tim Lincecum, size doesn’t matter as much as stuff.